Canada's Barrel Handstamp Cancels

David Oberholtzer
Released November 2017. Exhibit series # 95.
134 pages, 8.5x11, spiral bound.
Colour C$ 30.00 [ISBN 978-1-927119-83-9].

Barrel Cancel handstamps were used from early 1955 to the end of 1962. Assigned to 34 of the largest post offices in Canada, they were intended for use on mail items requiring special handling such as parcels, registered mail, redirected letters and First Day Covers, among other applications. The main reason they were acquired from the Pitney Bowes Company was because they did not require removal and replacement of the date and time indicia, which were mounted in the body of the device in the form of a barrel assembly. The 1955 hammers were recalled at the end of that year because of design flaws, but were replaced in January 1956 with a new model. On many colourful covers and pieces, David Oberholtzer’s exhibit shows how the “barrels” were used in the period.

David Oberholtzer has collected stamps since the age of twelve. His interest in postal history and Barrel Cancellations began as a member of the Barrie District Stamp Club. He joined the Postal History Society of Canada in 1980, and participated in the Barrel Rollers Study Group. David served as Treasurer of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada from 1993-1998 and 2009-2017. He was invited to join the Philatelic Specialists Society of Canada in 1995, and was on the organizing committee for CAPEX 96. He is also member of The Kitchener-Waterloo Philatelic Society and was on the ROYAL*2016*ROYALE organizing committee. Other philatelic interests include the postal history of several townships in Huron County and Pre-Independence Jamaica. David is a Fellow of the RPSC, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, and The Society of Management Accountants of Canada.